Stepping up its campaign preparations well ahead of the 2027 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday, November 12, 2026, released its second list of 31 candidates. The slate was finalized following a crucial Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting held in New Delhi with national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Signed off by National Secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta, the second announcement takes AAP’s total declared nominees to 71 out of the state’s 117 Assembly constituencies. Among the most closely watched selections in the Doaba region, the party has named Deepak Bali as its candidate from Jalandhar Cantonment, alongside Vaneet Dhir from Jalandhar North and Nitin Kohli from Jalandhar Central. Meanwhile, Sangrur Lok Sabha MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has been fielded from his former Assembly seat of Barnala, and senior leaders including Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal (Phagwara), Karamjit Singh Rintu (Amritsar North), and Saravjit Kaur Manuke (Jagraon) also feature prominently.

Key Highlights and Strategic Takeaways From AAP’s Second Candidate List

Unlike AAP’s first list of 40 candidates unveiled on October 31—which retained sitting legislators across the board—Thursday’s second list signals a decisive organizational reshuffle, with the party dropping eight sitting MLAs based on constituency-level performance reviews and internal voter surveys. Speaking on the selection criteria, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann noted that candidates were finalized strictly through ground feedback and survey assessments to maximize winnability across Majha, Doaba, and Malwa. In Jalandhar district alone, AAP has mounted an aggressive four-seat push by naming Deepak Bali (Jalandhar Cantt), Vaneet Dhir (Jalandhar North), Nitin Kohli (Jalandhar Central), and Pawan Kumar Tinu (Adampur). Other high-profile nominations include former mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu from Amritsar North, Sonia Mann from Raja Sansi, Talbir Singh Gill from Majitha, Raman Bahl from Gurdaspur, and Jasvir Singh Garhi from Chamkaur Sahib.

Full List of All 31 Candidates Announced in AAP’s Second List for Punjab

For voters, party workers, and political observers across Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala, the complete constituency-wise list of all 31 candidates announced by the Aam Aadmi Party on November 12, 2026, is detailed below:

What Lies Ahead for AAP’s Remaining 46 Assembly Seats

With 71 candidates now declared across two phases, the Aam Aadmi Party has given its nominees a substantial head start on booth-level outreach months ahead of the formal Election Commission notification expected in early 2027. Political analysts in Chandigarh note that the party has deliberately targeted opposition-held constituencies alongside seats where sitting legislators faced local anti-incumbency, while deferring decisions on several senior cabinet ministers to upcoming PAC deliberations. As attention turns to the remaining 46 constituencies, rival parties including the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and Bharatiya Janata Party face growing pressure to accelerate their own candidate selection processes across Punjab.